'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012' returns with new twists

The new season of music reality show "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa" will be new in more ways than one -- old songs will get a contemporary twist, audience involvement will increase via the web and in a unique addition, "Indian Ocean" fame Rahul Ram has joined the show's judging panel.

The upcoming season, starting on Zee TV Sep 29, will be one with a bagful of surprises, promise composer duo Sajid-Wajid, who will return as judges after the last season, aired in 2010.

"We wanted to sit back and research how we can bring in new things and make a difference this time," explained Sajid, who, along with his brother Wajid, was on the judges' panel in the last season too.

"There are a lot of music reality shows nowadays. So we wanted to do something that you won't see in any other show. It will be a very fresh experience, very youthful and it will have a new generation of creativity," he added.

Positioning it as "India knows its music", "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012" aims at viewer engagement in a bigger and a better way.

Auditions for the show, which has regaled music aficionados since 1995, have been held across 12 Indian cities over three months. Over 100,000 aspirants tried their luck, according to the channel.

It will have one surprise judge, whose name will be unveiled in a few days.

It's quite a surprise in itself to see Rahul Ram, bass guitarist and lead vocalist of Indian Ocean, in a truly Bollywood show like "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012".

Asked about it, he said: "There is a lot of music that is not just Bollywood nowadays and Indian Ocean is a representation of that different kind of music. These guys wanted me to bring some contemporary changes to the show, so that's how I came into the picture."

"We want contestants to give their own twists to songs, and not just sing songs the way they have been sung since they were composed. We want to see what new they can bring to the stage," he added.

The judges are confident the show, like always, will serve as a platform for hidden talent. But they don't guarantee that winning the show will take the contestant places.

Luck and focus, they say, plays a big role.